To the water...

It has been quite the week here. Lives have surely been changed. It is crazy some of the transformations, whether attitudes or full on excitement for life. 

The picture below is the line we had for baptisms. There is one missing. We dunked 18 of our lovely students. Wow! It was pretty awesome.

That is about it. Words can not express all that happened, but there are only three weeks left until we head out. Off to Bangkok we go!

Thank you all.

i know the sun must set to rise.

As we gear up for the last four weeks until eight teams head out for eight different countries all over the World, there is an atmosphere of excitement and enthusiasm.

We all want to make a difference, to find out the niche in this world where we can actually change it.

How can we use who we are, the person God put together, to serve, to share, and to love others (specifically rock climbers and travelers) for two months?

How do we stay relevant, while standing on the Rock? How do we change a generation focused on self? How do we use our seemingly random passions to make a dent in people's lives?

I suppose life is a journey of figuring out how to do all that, but I will find all the boldness in me to accomplish it. The end.

I just got Psychotic Intertia-ed

The crew that's going to Thailand

Hello loved ones,

I am unsure on whether anyone reads this thing anymore (Parentals do not count, they get me face to face every week thanks to Skype). Much has happened this week. We had a lively speaker who shook up our ideas and even theology a bit.
I highly recommend clicking on the link below to hear what we hear (and you can see the pdf). Start with Identity-Session 2-The Importance...and move on.
http://www.patrickdodson.net/Podcast/Podcast.html

Now, I will tell you, he says things in an extreme way to poke you, to get you to think and talk to God about what you really believe.

Also, Psychotic Intertia is the book by Patrick Dodson. It rocked me. Find it on Amazon

“I do not feel obliged to 

believe that the same God who 

has endowed us with senses, 

reason, and intellect has 

intended us to forgo their use 

and by some other means to 

give us knowledge which we 

can attain by them.” Galileo

Hammock, book, and a french press

I've been reading a good book recently. If you want to be challenged, read it. It is called Psychotic Inertia by a fellow named Patrick Dodson. He is coming to speak on our school.
So, I just wanted to say, "Hello."
New Zealand is doing well. No major shaking. Soon and very soon I can announce where I am headed for 2 months of outreach. Until then, I am playing with Apple's newest software update on my iPod. It is sweet! Also, shout out to my mom for the amazing coffee. Thank you Topeca for existing.
Peace.

There is always hope.

Oh Happy Day from Aotearoa,

I hope you are well. We have been quite busy as of recent. The New Zealand National YWAM Gathering is presently taking over our little base. This just means a bunch of people are here from the other YWAM New Zealand bases to hangout. One of the old YWAM Presidents is here, his name is Frank Naea. He is awesome.

I have been super blessed recently. Paying for the schools as a staff can sometimes be a bit stressful. Thanks to my working at home and in New Zealand, much of everything was paid for and with the help of two lovely supporters I am only needing to pay $1200 USD for outreach. WHAT?! I know, I was shocked. 

So, this is an invitation to anyone who would like to donate and watch the amount go away. Details below the picture.

Speaking of outreach, I know where I will be headed, but because our students are not in the know yet, I can not tell you. If you want to e-mail me back, and I will let you know, or you can ask my parents. 

Below is a picture of Christchurch. It is mainly for my mom, we walked down this street from our hostel to go to the square. Well, there it is Mom. To the right of this view are some amazing restaurants, like Bangalore Polo Club. One of the best cities...gone.

Tax Deductible option:

send a check using the instructions below*Please do not put my name anywhere on the check. Include a separate note, with my name on it, requesting a donation be made by YWAM.

YWAM

Accounting Department

PO Box 3000

Garden Valley, TX 

75771-3000

I bought some eggs to cook.

Tidings loved ones!
It is amazing the different greetings I have come up with for my updates. Tidings makes me think of that Christmas song and with the weather like it is here, I have to pinch myself to remind me it is spring, not fall. If I ever lived here, I would never get used to the opposite seasons. I am writing this update waiting for my parents to be free for a skype chat.

This past Sunday a few of us went to the delightful Oxford Farmer's Market. I bought some eggs and am excited to cook them. I am not sure why, maybe it's the homegrown-ness of the whole event that inspires me. Maybe it is the simplicity of life, meeting people, and supporting local farmers that is neat. Either way, wherever I am, I hope to visit the market each week, if not have a booth of flowers or pottery.

Our students are here! They are so cool! If you feel led to pray, we need God to come and heal and take heavy loads. For Him to come in a BIG way. Each one of them is in need of really meeting God and I can just feel His excitement for that.

Enjoy fair food, Okies. I could go for some of that fatty goodness right about now! Peace to you. 

Baaa

From the land of many sheep, I say, "Good mornin'!" We are about finished with our staff training, as the rest of leadership training begins the moment our first student steps off the plane, which is on Thursday. It is crazy to think it all begins and doesn't stop until the end of February. Our students that are coming are longing for adventure and to grow with their relationship with their Creator, and after they are poured into, we go out to share. We are doing two schools at once, with the Justice school rocking our backpacking socks off. Please be praying for safe journey's for our students, for open and soft hearts.
All is well over here. The weather is warming and the sheep are a sheepin'. Peace to you from the Ends of the Earth.

Oh, and here is the staff for the backpacker school. We like being outside, but even more we love Jesus.